You can purchase a dog carrier that is airline approved and have your pup fly with your Husband in the cabin. There are specific guidelines regarding the maximum size of the carrier so that it will fit under the seat in front of you, but most bags will advertise if they are airline approved or not. Celltei bags are fantastic (you might be able to find someone who sells them close to you so you can get it quickly - or pay extra to have it shipped faster from
www.celltei.com ). Lots of people on here can vouch for the celltei and most of their bags are airline approved. I have the Pak-O-Pet in classic black in an xtra small (Oscar is 3lbs and has lots of room) and it is airline approved.
I don't know if there are different rules for different airlines, but I'm pretty sure most allow it.